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Carnival Celebrations Worldwide
Pre-Lenten street parties are a tradition in many countries, but each culture puts its own spin on it. Check out our slide show of images from 10 carnivals worldwide.
Budget TravelWednesday, Feb 10, 2010, 8:53 AMBinche, Belgium Since 1549, this town has celebrated Carnaval. The must-see event is the March of the Gilles, shown here. carnavaldebinche.be. (OPT/JPRemy/courtesy Visit Belgium)Budget Travel LLC, 2016

10 CITIES, 10 PARTIES

Carnival Celebrations Worldwide

Binche, Belgium Since 1549, this town has celebrated Carnaval. The must-see event is the March of the Gilles, shown here. carnavaldebinche.be.
(OPT/JPRemy/courtesy Visit Belgium)

Stavelot, Belgium Be on guard if you visit this southern village a few Sundays before Easter, when locals interrupt Lent for a celebration. One of the white-robed figures might smack you with a dried pig's bladder—or something just as yucky. laetare-stavelot.be.
(OPT/JPRemy)

Venice Once Carnevale gets underway, you'll see costumed figures in St. Mark's Square and other major piazzas. At night, flares light up the usual fog. carnivalofvenice.com.
(Courtesy Alaskan Dude/Flickr)

Venice There are no cars in this city, so Carnevale revelers must walk through its piazzas and twisting alleyways to reach ballrooms. Onlookers seize the opportunity to sneak peeks at the gorgeous outfits.
(Courtesy Wacksonjackson/Flickr)

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago The Carnival in this capital city is famous for its stilt-walkers. Some of their clever costumes satirize former British colonial authorities. gotrinidadandtobago.com.
(Courtesy Trinidad Tourism)

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago Unlike pre-Lenten festivities elsewhere, the party here demands audience participation. If you go, expect someone to throw paint on you—and then lure you into a dance.
(Courtesy Trinidad Tourism)

New Orleans Say "Mardi Gras" in the U.S., and everybody thinks of this city. The street celebrations here are tamer now than they were before the 2005 hurricane, but they're still a blast. mardigrasday.com.
(Kate Elkins/courtesy neworleansonline.com)

New Orleans Papier-mâché jesters adorned this parade float, now on display at Mardi Gras World, a local museum. mardigrasworld.com.
(Jean-Paul Gisclair/courtesy neworleansonline.com)

Quebec City, Canada Walk through ice-and-snow sculptures as large as castles during Winter Carnival, the largest pre-Lenten festival in the Northern Hemisphere. carnaval.qc.ca.
(Alison Wright/Robert Harding World Imagery/Corbis)

Quebec City, Canada Canoes race in the ice-choked St. Lawrence River on the last day of Winter Carnival.
(Richard T. Nowitz/Corbis)

Cologne, Germany Since the Middle Ages, this city has held Kölner Karneval. A highlight is a women-only, traditional-dress gathering on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. koeln.de.
(Courtesy cometogermany.com)

Rio de Janeiro Considered the granddaddy event, this coastal city's Carnaval pulses to a samba beat, the ritual music rooted in Afro-Brazilian culture. rio-carnival.net.
(Courtesy Embratur)

Rio de Janeiro During the sultry Carnaval, free street parties are easy to find, but the main event is a competition between samba performers in a 70,000-person venue, the Sambodromo. Tickets start at $110.
(Courtesy Embratur)

Mazatlán, Mexico Residents of this western coastal city are fiercely proud of their Carnival. gomazatlan.com.
(Courtesy Mazatlán Hotel Association)

Barranquilla, Colombia During Carnival in this Caribbean coastal city, visitors stand on cobbled streets and take in the sounds of Colombian funk and folk music. colombia.travel.
(Courtesy Proexport USA)

Barranquilla, Colombia UNESCO has recognized the multiday event here as a precious global treasure. If you go see it, don't be surprised if someone tosses a garland around your neck.
(Courtesy Proexport USA)